The Kansas City Chiefs ran onto the Super Bowl field to the tomahawk chop despite having banned native American headdress and war paint at their home stadium.
Fans of the defending champions sang their made-up war chant as the team came out of the changing rooms in Tampa Bay as the NFL piped it into the stadium.
Native American groups have called for the team, who play at Arrowhead Stadium, to change their name and ban the stereotyping hand chopping motion and chant.
Last year the NFL team in Washington dropped its nickname in favor of the Washington Football Team, and the Cleveland Indians has said it will change its name,
“I hope this Super Bowl is the last time we hear the ‘tomahawk chop.’ If the Washington Football Team can change its name, the Chiefs can do better,” said @robquig on Twitter.
“Chiefs fan here. Yeah, I really wish they'd stop doing the tomahawk chop war chant,” tweeted @theandymead.
And @GrantPsych, added: "Nothing screams America quite like the NFL preaching anti-racism while proceeding to play the tomahawk chop as the Chiefs enter the field."
The team adopted the nickname in 1963 to honour the city's former mayor Harold Bartle, whose nickname was the 'The Chief' and who helped bring the team from Dallas to Kansas City.
They later added arrowheads as their logo and named their stadium after it.
